dholmes898

Hello I am a college student and I just bought a 1970 cutlass s and I will like to find out the correct way to remove the dash. Thank you!

2blu442

Hello and welcome to the site! If you plan to keep the car very long or plan to do much work on it I would highly recommed you purchase a "Chassis Service Manual". As I understand these were books printed by Oldsmobile every year for the dealer mechanics to use. They show up on ebay often, and can be purchased for $15-$45 depending on condition. They're the size of a large phone book and are the best shop manuals I've ever seen with lots of pictures and drawings plus step by step details on how to take things apart. I just did a seach on ebay and the only 1970 at the moment is a reproduction from a book dealer for $59 plus shipping, that's ebay #300084004508 if you want to check it out. I did a search on Oldsmobile Chassis and 22 auctions came up. If your not in a hurry you can probably buy one from a private party for less than this reproduction. But for now I can point you toward a link to my photobucket site where I posted photos of the mounting studs on a 1970-72 dash in my garage. Go to the site and scroll down about half the way, just past a photo of a yellow 1965 442 and you'll see 11 photos of me pointing to the mounting studs and a description of where they are. These all have a small nut on the backside so you have to stand on your head and reach up under your dash. I believe the nut uses a 5/16" socket, but may have been a 3/8". In addition to these, you'll first have to lower your steering column. To do that remove the two phillips screws that hold the plastic cover just underneath the column. Then remove the two 9/16" nuts that hold the column up against the dash. You'll also have to remove the wood grain gauge bezel by removing 4 phillips screws, two above the gauges and two below them. Once you remove that panel you'll see 1/4" sheetmetal screws holding the gauge pods to the metal frame behind the dash. Remove them and carefully pull the pods out, trying not to break off the brass pins that the wires plug into. There may or maynot be an additional phillips screw through the plastic around the pods and into the metal frame behind it. If you have your factory raido in the dash you may want to remove that just to reduce the weight hanging on the dash as you remove it. Pull the ***** off and remove the nuts behind them. There will also be a support bracket from the glove box side of the radio to the metal frame behind the dash. Then you'll need to open the glove box door and remove a whole bunch of 1/4" sheetmetal screws that hold the door hinge on, and the latch assembly. I would also remove the cardboard liner at this time, so you can have more access to the backside of the dash. I guess I'm getting tired, because I just remembered that this will also help with access to the radio support so do it before the radio. OK, moving right along, you'll also have to unhook the AC/Heater cables which are really wires in a plastic covered housing. I will unhook them from the heater box under the dash. Then you will also have vacuum hoses running from the AC/Heater control, but you can pull them later when you unhook the wiring harness. I've dismantled several of these cars and I'll keep the harness on the dash and unbolt the fuse box from the floorboard, and under the hood. I think I'm starting to write a novel here, so let me stop for now and give you the link for my photobucket site. Let me know if I can provide you with any additional photos, or if any of the steps are unclear. It takes time, so try to be patient and if it doesn't come easy look to see if you missed something. Like the speedometer cable! I forgot to mention there's a clip that you depress against the back of the speedo head, on the bottom of where the cable attaches, then pull the speedo cable off. Yeah, I'd better stop for now and read through this again tomorrow. But seriously consider getting a Chassis Service Manual! John

http://s90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...442/?start=all

dholmes898

I thank you for your vast knowledge on how to handle this project. I will continue this project tomorrow as soon as I get out of class......
P.S. I think it is a nightmare waiting for me under my vinyl top!!(aaaggggrrrrrr)!!!!

vette442

It's the factory Assembly Manual that you want for the drawings/diagrams. Search on Ebay under 'Cutlass Assembly Manual' - about $25 shipped. It will show all of the studs and how/where they mount. The base for the stud on the driver's side behind the A/C vent will often break off from the pad if you are not really careful - be slow and gentle with it. The others are pretty easy to find, reach and remove. It's that one mounting stud that causes most of the aggravation.

Ryhelio

I just checked out that factory assembly manual from bishko on Ebay, and it says:

"Please note: These Assembly Manual reproductions use the original assembly plant pages for reproductions. These pages were used at the plants and in some cases contain dark speckling, blocked out areas and in some rare cases are missing pages or sections. They have been cleaned and processed to provide the best possible reproduction available. If and when a better original appears, these reproduction manuals will be updated. eb8604R"

Do you actually have one? How does it look? why would they block out some of the pages? I own the chilton that covers 70-87, which is pretty decent but doesnt cover the head bolts torque pattern on my 455. it covers the rest of the years but 71, maybe i overlooked. It seems like a pretty good deal, I just thought I would ask someone and see if it was to good to be true.

texasred

I couldn't live without te "Big 3"....Assembly Manual, Chassis Service Manual and Fisher Body Manual.

The Assembly Manuals were originally made for one purpose....to assemble the 1971 Cutlass (and all derivatives). Once done, they moved on to the next year/model. The ones I have seen...all from ebay....all from different suppliers...are all about the same. No important missing pages...no real missing info. But they ARE invaluable.

JMHO.

C.J.

P.S. Check out www.texas442.com, left hand side under Miscellanies. There is a good pic of the left hand dash stud from the inside.

Ryhelio

The big 3? Good to know!

Thats a pretty cool site! Is that your car club? those are some clean motors!what was this in? http://www.texas442.com/01engines/slides/DSC03836.JPG

that makes want to go work on my car!!!

texasred

I believe that's a 68 Hurst/Olds with Ram Air...

The guy that runs the site is named Ali (I've known him for a couple of years and STILL can't pronounce his last name!). He lives in Austin, TX is is THE man for "real" resto questions....like he can go on for hours about the starter wire loom for a 442 versus "regular" Cutlass...

Good stuff there, eh?

Are you going to the OCA Nationals this year? They're in Bowling Green next weekend. You can meet 70Wcars and (probably) Ali there too. GREAT source of parts, info and fellowship. Bring your camera!

C.J.

FWIW, JFK was the last Democratic president to cut taxes.